Geographic information systems (GIS) can be used to collect, archive, modify, analyze, map, and display various types of geographically referenced data and information. Examples of GIS tools include GIS applications such as ArcView, ArcInfo, and ArcEditor provided by ESRI (Environmental Systems Research Institute), Inc., of Redlands, Calif.
In industries such as the insurance and financial industries, GIS applications can be useful for various purposes. For example, in the insurance industry, GIS applications can be used for actuarial review and/or evaluation of territorial boundaries associated with risk assessments and other factors that can influence insurance rates.
However, GIS applications can be manually intensive, slow, and inaccurate. For instance, many GIS applications may require operation by a specially trained individual. Even in cases in which an insurance company has access to a GIS operator, operation of the GIS application can still be a slow process, which can lead to extended time periods in order for completion of actuarial review processes.
In many instances, timelines for a review process can be imposed by a regulatory body, e.g., a State regulatory agency. Since operation of GIS applications can be slow, compliance with the imposed review timelines can be difficult, and accuracy of the information may suffer if insufficient time for GIS application processing is available.